Running the Justice Department not only involves setting policy and overseeing budgets, but it requires managing lots of people. Most good trial lawyers are constitutionally incapable of managing large work forces. They tend to practice law out of very small offices (often they are one-man shops). Bigger plaintiffs' firms are are notorious for splitting up in ugly, public brawls, usually over money. And frankly, plaintiffs lawyers who work on contingency fees tend to be alpha-male entrepreneurs who just don't play well with others. Edwards' public face on the campaign trail obscures some of his history as a pretty cut-throat lawyer.

Dellinger, on the other hand, has a long resume that includes a stint at the Justice Department as an assistant AG in the Clinton administration. He is also wildly popular among DLC types and just about anyone else who's ever met him, as he is reportedly a very, very nice person. He gets invited to be on panels, boards, and committees and frequently appears other polite legal venues like law reviews. In short, he knows how to play well with others.

Undoubtedly, one of Dellinger's many selling points for Clinton is also that he doesn't scare business the way Edwards does. Dellinger has worked for some major corporate clients, including Exxon. Dellinger recently helped the oil giant overturn a multi-billion-dollar punitive damage award in Alabama and he's currently working to help the company overturn the punitive damage award in the Exxon Valdez case, which has made its way to the Supreme Court.

This sort of appellate work has earned Dellinger goodwill in the business community, but it's also one reason many liberal lawyers supporting other candidates, off the record, are rooting for Obama. They are troubled that Clinton would tap Dellinger to run Justice. After all, true believers don't work for Exxon.